Vehicle-mounted weapon stations are retrofittable to various types of military vehicles, including but not limited to armored combat vehicles (ACVs), mine-resistant ambush protected (MRAP) vehicles, armored multi-purpose vehicles (AMPVs), amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs), and light armored vehicles (LAVs). The weapon stations allows personnel to operate externally-mounted weapons from the within the armored protection of the vehicle.
A weapon station may be outfitted with selected weapons (e.g. guns and missile launchers), and non-lethal operating units (e.g. target sighting units, acoustic hailers, and illuminators), to provide desired performance capabilities. Missile launchers suitable for use in a weapon station include, without limitation, a Hellfire missile launcher, a Javelin missile launcher, and a TOW missile launcher. Automatic guns that process linked ammunition are favored in weapon station configurations. Some of the guns falling into this category are the MK44 chain gun, CTAT 30 mm and 40 mm canons, the M242 chain gun, the M230LF autocannon, the M2 machine gun, the M3 submachine gun, the MK19 automatic grenade launcher, the M240 machine gun, the M249 light machine gun, and the M134 machine gun. Of course, a weapon station may be outfitted with weapons and operating units other than those specifically mentioned above.
The linked ammunition typically comes in the form of a long ammunition belt held within an ammunition container. The belt extends out through an exit opening in the container to an ammunition feed mechanism at the gun. As an existing ammunition belt advances and is used up during firing, a leading link of a subsequent ammunition belt may be coupled to a trailing link of the existing belt to accomplish reloading. In some systems, the new belt is loaded into the existing container, while in other systems, the existing emptied container is removed and replaced with a new container holding the new belt.
One type of ammunition container designed to be reloaded when emptied is a hanging ammunition or suspended ammunition container. In this known arrangement, an ammunition belt is folded in serpentine fashion within the ammunition container, with upper links in the belt being supported by parallel rails at or near the top of the container so as to suspend or hang folded vertical segments of the belt in the container. This type of “hanging ammo” arrangement is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,573,774 (Sandberg); U.S. Pat. No. 4,433,609 (Darnall); and U.S. Pat. No. 8,763,511 (Schvartz et al.).
In designing a weapon station, it is desirable to provide personnel with the capability to reload the externally mounted automatic guns with linked ammunition while the personnel remain within the relatively safe confines of the armored vehicle. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2012/0186423 (Chachamian et al.) describes a system for protected reloading of an RWS. The system comprises an extendable and retractable support bracket having a top plate attached to the RWS and a bottom plate for receiving and supporting an ammunition container. The bottom plate is connected to the top plate by four gas pistons enabling the bottom plate carrying the ammunition box to be raised up into the RWS turret for regular use and lowered down into the vehicle compartment for reloading. While the system enables reloading under armored protection, it requires a mechanically complicated bracket and uses space within the vehicle compartment to accommodate the lowered ammunition container during reloading. Given that the vehicle compartment is already very confined, this solution is not optimal.
Another system for under armor reloading of ammunition is described in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 8,763,511 (Schvartz et al.). The ammunition containers disclosed by Schvartz et al. are open at the front end and the rear end such that multiple containers may be stowed end-to-end in the RWS with their belts linked for regular use. An elevator mechanism is provided to lift ammunition containers from the vehicle compartment through a hatch and into the RWS. When a rearmost container is emptied, it is removed manually or using the elevator to make room for another container. Here again, the system enables reloading under armored protection, but it requires an elevator mechanism and uses valuable space within the vehicle compartment. The system also dedicates limited space within the RWS pedestal for multiple ammunition cans associated with only a single weapon.
With respect to weapons configuration, weapon station design has been limited by a “point solution” mindset. In other words, weapons stations are predominantly designed with a specific weapon configuration in mind. This mindset is understandable, given that the weapon station must incorporate sophisticated motion drive and stabilization systems to rotate the station turret or pedestal about an azimuth axis, and to rotate a mounted weapon about an elevation axis, with precision and accuracy. By focusing on one or perhaps a few weapon configurations, weapon station designers can limit the loading variables that must be accommodated and can optimize the weapon support and motion drive systems. However, this “point solution” mindset may be detrimental to combat preparedness because a weapon station having a fixed weapon configuration may become ill-suited for combat as battle conditions change.
The height of the weapon station elevation axis is an example of a weapon station design parameter that limits the available weapon configurations. A relatively low elevation axis is useful for shorter barrel guns and gives the armored vehicle a desirably low profile. However, an weapon station with a relatively low elevation axis cannot accommodate certain longer barrel guns and missile launchers. U.S. Pat. No. 7,669,513 (Niv et al.) teaches an RWS intended to have a variety of weapon configurations. The RWS has an automated vertically-adjustable linkage on which a weapon mount is carried for adjusting the height of the weapon elevation axis. This type of system introduces other costs, complexities, and possible malfunction points to the RWS.
What is needed is a weapon station that enables reloading of ammunition under armor without using valuable space within the vehicle compartment and without relying on a conveyor mechanism.
What is also needed is a mechanically simple weapon station that can be readily outfitted with a variety of weapon configurations depending upon changing combat requirements.
It is further desired to provide a basic vehicle-mounted weapon station apparatus that may be adapted to provide a manned weapon station depending upon operational requirements.
In the event of power outages, it is highly desirable to provide for manually powered movements of the pedestal about the azimuth axis, and manually powered movements of weaponry and operational units about the elevation axis. The apparatus for enabling manually powered movements should be space-efficient and compact.